Dolce & Gabbana is an eminent 1985-founded Italian fashion house. Dolce & Gabbana has employed multiple methods of marketing promotion; among them is the company’s official website. The present work provides a detailed analysis of the website and its contribution to the company’s promotion strategy.
The website provides a viewer with sufficient information related to the current products and their use, fashion collections, upcoming products, the activity of the company, and so on. The website has the following structure. It is divided into five main sections: Dolce & Gabbana, Dolce & Gabbana Online Store, Dolce & Gabbana Beauty, Dolce & Gabbana Corporate, and Dolce & Gabbana World.
The first section embraces the subsections with fashion clothes for men, store locator, women, and children, eyewear, watches, and jewelry. The second section presents the items of the online store sorted according to their type and the gender of a buyer, as well as customer care pages. The third section includes the pages about perfumes, makeup, and skincare. The fourth section is devoted to the company information. Finally, the fifth section contains all other information. While such division is reasonable, the names of the sections are unclear and may confuse a viewer (Dolce & Gabbana Official Site and On Line Store). The site map can be seen on Picture 1.
The front page announces both new collections and the product categories such as “skincare.” The main menu allows access to various subsections. The subscribe and site map buttons are present. However, the search is missing, and the announcement “follow us on” is not supplemented by links on any social webs. The only available languages are English and Italian, even though Dolce & Gabbana has stores in countries that speak other languages (Saudi Arabia, China) (Dolce & Gabbana Official Site and On Line Store). These omissions are serious flaws of the promotion strategy.
As for the fashion clothes, the website is currently presenting the winter and summer 2016 collections for men, women, and children. According to the website, the primary source of inspiration for the collections was family, which, as Dolce & Gabbana believes, is the main thing in everyone’s lives. The site also presents all the posters, videos, and press releases from the advertising campaigns and fashion shows for each collection. Clothes collections are supplemented by accessories.
The site contains a photo of each item. The images can be shared on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+. All the same applies to the eyewear and watches subsections (Dolce & Gabbana Official Site and On Line Store). It is worth mentioning that the company works with models, both female and male, of diverse racial backgrounds. The abundance of information, links to social webs, and diversity among models make a positive contribution to the marketing promotion.
The online store allows to order the items from the current winter 2016 collection. The items are included into specific categories such as “suits” and “sneakers.” Once a user selects an item, the site automatically determines the country and creates a shopping bag. The pre-order mode is available (Dolce & Gabbana Official Site and On Line Store). The whole system is convenient for a user.
The beauty section allows a user to order skincare products and perfumes. It also contains a detailed FAQ, which provides answers not only for the questions related to the company’s productions but also for general inquiries regarding skincare and perfumes. The strongest point of this section is a skincare test. It allows each customer to enter the details about their skin type and preferences and receive a recommendation for using a particular Dolce & Gabbana skincare set (Picture 4). The entire section is successful in the terms of marketing promotion.
The corporate section presents information related to corporate history, mission and vision, the company’s international awards, the locations of its offices, brand identity, Dolce & Gabbana Club, and job offers (Dolce & Gabbana Official Site and On Line Store). Most of the subsections are unavailable unless a user is registered, which presents a certain inconvenience, for instance, for job seekers.
The website also contains a link to the company-owned magazine Swide. Swide is not devoted to the company’s products and services. Instead, it provides a wide outlook on fashion news, art, sports, travel, etc. The magazine serves to promote Dolce & Gabbana without making a viewer feel annoyed with advertisement (Swide Magazine).
In general, the needs and beliefs of a customer are addressed properly on the website. The shipping conditions and prices are explained clearly, and a buyer does not need to request additional information. Detailed FAQs and a clear site map help to make sure that a customer does not get lost on the website. The site has a “gift ideas” subsection where various products are offered as possible presents for a customer’s family and friends, which is a good idea to attract the audience. The accent on family is also working well. Despite the flaws such as the lack of a search button, only two available languages, and the unclear names of the website sections, the website is a strong part of the company’s marketing promotion strategy.
Works Cited
Dolce & Gabbana Official Site and On Line Store. Dolce & Gabbana, n.d. Web.
Swide Magazine. Dolce & Gabbana, n.d. Web.